Reckless Bounty (Intergalactic Justice Book 1) Read online

  She heard another familiar male voice call out her name with heightened urgency.

  “Samantha, help me!”

  “TYLER!” Samantha screamed.

  Her psychic abilities rattled and went on edge. Her eyes popped open and she sat up. For one brief second, she caught the wispy tendrils of a purple mist swirling around her. When she blinked and opened her eyes again, the mist was gone.

  Reigning in her shattered emotions, she attempted to harness her volatile powers. She wasn’t as strong as her twin Charlotte, but when her powers surfaced, they could have startling effects on the world around her. The problem was, they always seemed to surface when she didn’t want them to.

  She threw her legs over the side of the bed. Gasping, she felt a painful throb in her shoulder. Groaning, the fog in her brain cleared, and she remembered where she was and what had happened to her.

  Samantha struggled to control her ragged breathing. Her chest heaved, and she put her hand over her heart, only to feel it pulsing in a staccato rhythm. She had to snap out of it!

  The psychic echo that remained from her nightmare and Tyler’s call for help deeply affected her. Where was Tyler right now? How would she know if he was in trouble? He never sent her any sort of correspondence any more… the only person he talked to was his brother, Dylan.

  Johanna came rushing into the room followed closely by her husband, Dylan. She hurried to Samantha’s bedside.

  “It’s alright dearest. Tyler isn’t here. You’re on The Excalibur, and we are just now entering Notting Prime’s atmosphere. We’ll be at the delivery point soon.” Johanna placed her arms snugly around her and pulled her against her chest.

  Dylan stood right behind his wife with his hands shoved into his pockets.

  Samantha blinked her eyes. For an instant, she saw Tyler’s face instead of Dylan’s. The two brothers looked remarkably alike and it almost pained her to look at Dylan’s features and know how much they mirrored Tyler’s.

  Even if she didn’t love Tyler the way he deserved, she couldn’t bear it if he was in trouble. If something bad happened to him, she would never ever forgive herself.

  “Tyler. Have you spoken to him recently, Dylan?”

  His curly auburn hair was messed up and his striking blue-green eyes held an honest concern that pained her to her very core.

  “Not for ten days, Samantha. Though his last message was a bit off. He sounded sad as he always does and yet, I got the sneaky suspicion that he was up to something. I should go and see if I can get a subspace message to him tonight.”

  “Do that,” she muttered, turning in Johanna’s arms, and wrapped her arms around her middle.

  Bringing Johanna close, she tried to block the image of her estranged husband completely from her mind.

  It wasn’t easy when Dylan was always there, a constant reminder of what could have been.

  Should have been. She’d taken their vows seriously even if he hadn’t.

  Was she wrong for trying to make it work with someone she didn’t completely love? She didn’t know the answer to that question and probably never would. She was screwed up on too many levels.

  Six months ago, Tyler had packed and moved out after a heated argument. They’d hardly ever argued, and when they did, it was always about the same thing. She’d automatically regretted, her harsh words. But by the time she’d realized the error of her ways, it was too late to stop him. He had hated her dangerous lifestyle.

  Said he couldn’t understand it. And after one extremely close call in which she had narrowly escaped with her life, he’d blown up and had given her an ultimatum.

  Give it all up.

  The job or him, he couldn’t stand by while she continually put herself in harm’s way. Before she really thought out her reply, how it would affect them, she’d refused and he’d left. She could still remember their angry words, hurtful lashes that cut deep, and wished that she had handled it differently.

  And yet, in a way, maybe it was meant to be. They never would have survived as a couple. He couldn’t bear to weather the storm with her and yet…

  Devlin would have stuck it out with her through thick and thin and every single day her actions concerning him haunted her.

  The hurt in his eyes haunted her and made her feel sick inside. Living with the regret ate at her every waking hour.

  Tyler’s voice reverberated in her head, making her hate herself.

  “You are going to get yourself killed! I can’t stand thinking of that happening. I don’t know what I would do. I can’t take your lifestyle anymore. Dylan might be able to live with the thought of losing Johanna, but I can’t live with the thought of losing you.

  I love you more than anything in the universe. Can’t you see? Take a risk on us. Bet on us. I do. There isn’t a bounty in the known worlds that is worth risking your life. It’s your damnable bounty hunting or me! Make your choice, so that I know where I stand!” He had said it in that damnably calm voice of his.

  Tyler had rarely gotten angry and when he blew it was definitely no laughing matter.

  “I can’t. I can’t!” she had sobbed. “I can’t leave the hunt. I need the hunt. Sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps the nightmares at bay. Keeps me from losing my grip on reality!”

  The fact that he had loved her more than she loved him—always made her feel so guilty.

  “I can keep the nightmares at bay. Our love can overcome anything, if you only give it a chance. Please, Samantha,” he’d said, moving to grasp her much smaller hands beneath his strong and capable ones.

  “I can’t,” she had whispered, all the while wishing and hoping that Tyler was Devlin.

  “You won’t.” he had whispered with a catch in his voice.

  “All right, I won’t. There is still a bounty out there that I need to find. My father won’t rest in peace until I bring his killer to justice! It’s a family affair and I won’t bail out on family.” She’d nearly shouted.

  He’d never understood how she’d felt about her father as he had despised his own.

  “I’m a part of your family. We’re in this crazy world as a united force. Yet, you’d bail out on me? On us?” Tyler had asked, searching her face.

  With a faint nod, he released her hands, turned on his heels and headed toward the exit doorway of The Excalibur.

  “I have to finish the job!” she’d cried. Wretchedly wanting him to keep going all the while knowing she was in the wrong—all the while reviling herself for being such a despicable creature.

  For being able to push away Devlin while going through and marrying Tyler. How could she have done it?

  Even so…no matter how she felt about him, if Tyler was in trouble—she would do all she could to help him.

  “And that is more important than me...than what we share?” he paused, glancing back at her.

  It had hit her, then. Though it had taken her a moment to fully register the look in his eyes. Hope had glimmered in his green eyes. Tyler had still had faith in them. He’d still believed in her. He had believed she would run after him. But she’d been in shock. She’d remained rooted to the spot.

  With a shake of his head, he’d opened the door and quietly walked out of her life. By the time she’d moved into action, he had disappeared. He had a weird way of doing that. She should have pursued him. But she hadn’t, probably because she didn’t love him enough.

  There was nothing Samantha hated more than quiet.

  Quiet only reminded her of how alone she was, how empty her life was without the man she loved more than life itself. In those times of dreadful calm, she could not keep the memories of her beloved at bay, images of what could have been.

  If only she had been able to let go of the past. She’d had a good man, and she’d let him slip away.

  “Samantha, sweetie, he’ll come back,” Johanna whispered.

  Oh, if only Johanna knew. She’d confided in her one night when they’d both been terribly drunk—she doubted that Johanna remember
ed any of it but sometimes she wished she did.

  Not having anyone to confide in was eating away at her.

  Dylan met Johanna’s gaze and signaled to her that he was going to leave. Johanna nodded.

  “No. He won’t,” she said, stifling a sob. “I didn’t choose him. His heart has been broken and I broke it. How could I have done that to him, Johanna? You and Dylan are so perfect together. You never fight and he always supports you no matter what. I loved him so much. Why didn’t I choose him? Why?”

  “The two of you clashed like titans. You were both so stubborn that neither one of you wanted to bend. Dylan compromises with me. And let me tell you I know that he is frightened to death when we go out on a job. But he can’t imagine life without me and he wants to see me happy.

  He also has faith in our abilities. He knows your little psychic twinges can keep us out of peril. Tyler wanted to protect you all of the time, I think that maybe he couldn’t stand imagining you risking your life when he wasn’t there to control the situations. Be honest with yourself Samantha, you do get yourself into some precarious situations,” Johanna pointed out.

  That was always her problem with Tyler. He never trusted her. He always wanted to control her every move.

  “So do you.”

  “Yes, dearest, but you stare death right in the face and you always manage to cheat it. I think Tyler feared the Angel of Death would someday catch up with you. Last night, I was frightened out of my mind when you didn’t answer me. You also shut off your abilities. You are afraid to use them when you need to. You are afraid of becoming a slave to them.”

  Oh, if only she knew. She didn’t shut her abilities off. She just couldn’t tap into them because she’d emotionally stunted herself when she’d rejected Devlin.

  “I was just hanging around. I guess I should have thought to give you some attention,” Samantha said.

  “Don’t be a smartass,” Johanna reproved. “Think about what you did last night. Don’t you even realize what could have happened to you? The last time I checked you didn’t have a pair of fairy wings.”

  “I could have.” If she’d stayed with Devlin, she had no doubt she would have been able to use her powers of telekinesis to catch herself from going splat on the pavement. Alas…she sighed. “Look I’m not Charlotte, but when the situation presents itself, I can call upon the well of power inside of me. I just repress it. I think it might have kicked into gear before I went splat.”

  That was her story for Johanna and she was sticking to it. She prayed her talents would have kicked in before death had claimed her, but she didn’t know for certain.

  If Devlin came to her now and honourably asked for her hand…would she accept it? She could answer that in a split second.

  Yes, she would.

  “You think?” Johanna snorted. “How do you know? You haven’t been trained like Charlotte. And even though she has honed her abilities, she could still be taken by surprise.”

  “Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? I push everyone away. Even my twin won’t stick by my side. Instead, she’s decided to go and become one with who she is, and embrace the inner psychic. A psychic assassin killed dad…” Bitterness tinged her voice.

  “And only a psychic hunter can track down that assassin,” Johanna countered. “Charlotte is trying to help us the only way she knows how. She’s doing her best to keep the world around her from falling in and crushing her. And, thanks for the vote of confidence. Even if Charlotte is your twin, I always thought we had a strong bond…”

  Hurt briefly creased Johanna’s face. As the oldest sister, Johanna always had looked out for her.

  Samantha’s reckless and impulsive personality warranted someone to keep a constant eye on her.

  Dylan’s voice through the intercom broke their conversation. “Marty wants to know if we have the prizes all wrapped up and ready for delivery.”

  “Tell him that we do, love. I’ll be on the bridge in a few minutes,” Johanna replied quickly. She hugged Samantha once more and then released her.

  “Hey, don’t forget about me. I’m coming too. Don’t you dare think this is little injury is going to get me down. Wait up!”

  Samantha gritted her teeth together and carefully got down from the high med bed. She winced, but quickly replaced her wince with a smile when she noticed her sister’s watchful eye.

  “I should put that in a sling,” Johanna mused, staring angrily at her.

  “No, no, I’m fine. A sling will only hamper my movements. This is just a little boo-boo. I’ll be right as rain by tomorrow. Like I said last night, you’ve done a bang up job on my arm.

  If it gets sore, I’ll pop some Earth Certified non-drowsy painkillers. They’re miracle pills don’t you know,” she said cheerily, quickly hiding her real feelings from her highly perceptive sister.

  Devlin’s face still haunted her.

  Her heart hurt. She really missed him. She wanted him back, like yesterday.

  As for Tyler, why had she heard him call out to her? Was he in trouble?

  Her sister Charlotte would have told her to follow the dream as a sign. She knew he wasn’t hurt. But she was getting worried. If he’d been hurt, she would have felt it wouldn’t she?

  Maybe not, considering the strained part of their relationship.

  If not her, then Dylan, would have. If only she could harness her abilities enough to reach out through the abyss of space and find him.

  His call for help could have just been a figment of her imagination or a result of her nightmare. She wasn’t like Charlotte, she couldn’t take every precognitive sign seriously.

  “I give up,” Johanna declared, throwing her arms up in the air. “After all of the years I have lived with you I should know better than to argue with you. It never gets me anywhere and besides it only wastes precious energy that I could be spending on attending much more important matters.

  When you were little you would hurt yourself, and you could have been literally bleeding out of your mouth and you would continue to play seemingly unaffected by your boo-boo. So don’t worry, I am finally growing wise.”

  Turning on her heel, Johanna walked toward the door, leaving Samantha to follow in her wake.

  Minutes later, they were on the bridge and Marty’s face was on the large display screen showing how appreciative he was of their services by flourishing two large sacks of money in front of them.

  “I’ll go down and make the delivery,” Johanna said crisply, moving down to the exit hatch.

  “I’ll go with you,” Dylan started, but Samantha cut him off.

  “The team will go down and make the delivery. Dylan, you stay with the ship,” she commanded, gently pushing Dylan out of her way. “How about you try to get some of our outstanding repairs done while we are gone?

  If I go to use something else and find out it’s broken, I will not be a happy camper, and you know what happens when I am not happy.”

  Dylan groaned. “Yeah, you blow up my toys either with your guns or your mind. You can be such a…”

  The one power of hers that never seemed to fail her was her ability to blow things up.

  “Dylan!” Johanna snapped, her brow wrinkling. “Don’t say it!”

  “I was merely going to say that Samantha can be a real witch when she wants to be. I am so glad you don’t have explosive things happen when you blow your fuse, darling.”

  Samantha made a gagging noise. “Johanna, let’s go and get this show on the road.”

  Johanna gave a small shrug of her shoulders and looked at her husband with a helpless expression. Sighing, she clasped her hands behind her back and followed Samantha out the door.

  *****

  Marty Silvestri turned to his new business partner and watched him warily. The man was twisting his elaborate signet ring that he wore on his pinky finger. Marty shivered. He was no idiot. He realized what was inside the ring.

  Lethal poison that when released and injected into the victim’s skin, would kill th
em almost instantaneously.

  “So, you said you know Sam and Jo. How close are the three of you?” Marty asked nervously.

  He popped the piece of bubble gum he’d stuffed into his mouth, and swallowed the belch rising in his throat. Burning acid rolled in his gut. He’d never been this anxious in his sixty-five years of life.

  Sweat beaded out across his forehead. He felt like he was trapped in a sauna. He nervously cracked his pudgy knuckles swallowing the thick lump in his throat.

  Marty fidgeted from side to side and concentrated on keeping all of his bodily fluids right where they were.

  “Do you happen to remember the old saying hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn? Well, I want to rewrite it to hell hath no fury like a man’s scorn. Your Sam thought that she could break up with me three years ago. But she was sadly mistaken. I am not easily deterred. She is mine. She will be mine, FOREVER!” he vowed, slamming his hand down on Marty’s antique walnut desk, and making Marty jump.

  “Hey, be careful, I got that at an auction four years ago, for a steal. It’s from the Earth Era of the 1940’s and it’s become very important to me,” Marty said.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!!!

  His big mouth finally betrayed him. He stopped chewing and tensely watched for the man’s reaction to his blunder. His stomach soured and made a rude noise.

  The strange man caressed his hand along its grainy surface and turned to Marty with a maniacal glint in his eye. “Is it more important to you than your fucking life?”

  Marty shook his head and tried to keep himself from shivering with fear or worse yet, finally losing control of his bodily functions.

  This was definitely a man that Marty Silvestri didn’t want to go up against. Not in a million years.

  God help Sam and Jo Cassidy because they certainly didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

  *****

  “Are you ready yet?” Johanna fidgeted impatiently. Sighing, she leaned against the bulkhead.

  She glanced over at their two cuffed prisoners and then she stared at Samantha, who was fully arming herself.

  “What battle do you intend to be fighting?” Johanna asked. Samantha added one more of the little gadgets that Dylan continually purchased or invented.